Attitude Makes the Difference

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task, which more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." William James

I need an attitude adjustment. Over the last year I've gradually reverted to my old eating habits and regained 10 of the 20 pounds I lost.

I began making a list of things I needed to change in order to lose the weight again and get back on track. After about the third thing I realized instead of focusing on positive steps to a healthy lifestyle, I was focusing on the negative.
I WILL NOT eat after dinner.
I WILL NOT dine out so often.
I WILL NOT outgrow my clothes again.

I didn't have one positive mindset on my list. With that in mind, I began to focus on the positive reasons to get healthy and stay that way.

I WILL look in the mirror and be happy with what I see, even with its shortcomings.
I WILL glorify God that I am wonderfully and fearfully made, and he loves me even if I'm not a size 4.
I WILL get up and move every day.
I WILL have the power to say no to a cookie when I'm not even hungry.
I WILL reach my goal weight and maintain it.
I WILL have the strength to run up a flight of stairs without passing out.
I WILL not beat myself up for setbacks.
I WILL live my life and be happy and healthy, and let the good inside me flow outward to touch those around me.

How about you? Are you focusing on the negative reasons you're not enjoying life the way you'd like? Step back, look at the positive and you will have success.

Will Rogers said, "Even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you just sit there."

That's been my problem lately. I'm eating right, working out when I can fit it into my crazy work schedule and curbing bad habits that got me into trouble in the first place.

The one thing I haven't really done is move forward. I've sort of stagnated in my fitness regime, as well as for my writing and other professional goals. It's not as though I've been sitting on the beach all summer. Wayne and I haven't been out of town at all. My work schedule has been too chaotic to plan for time away, not to mention the need to tighten our belts for the foreseeable future.

Plans, dreams, visions, goals, whatever you want to call them, haven't found a place in my brain lately. Just because I'm busy living my life is no excuse to put these things on hold. I'm in a pretty good place, but I'll get run over if I'm not careful.

So how does one find motivation to improve one's life when one barely has time to form a cohesive thought? It isn't easy, but I've thought of a few steps I can take. I currently spend a lot of time in my car for my job. For the next few weeks that amount of time will increase. Driving usually means turning up the radio and taking it easy for an hour or so until I reach my destination. Then I do it all over again at the end of the day. That's at least two hours a day I'll never get back.

How can I better utilize those two hours that will put me a little closer to reaching my goals in the midst of a hectic schedule? Turning off the radio for starters. My day is filled with enough endless chatter. Brainstorming ideas and preparing my mind for work before I ever get into the car is another. If we're in the right frame of mind, we accomplish so much more when we actually begin working.

Midwesterners are naturally prudent and hate to waste or throw anything away. So why am I so careless with my most valuable commodity? My time.

What about you? What has put the brakes on your forward momentum? Lack of time? Motivation? Support from loved ones? Whatever it is, break the chains that bind and move forward.

Get Thin at Last

Why wish for a pricey tummy tuck or liposuction to get rid of bothersome bulges when there are now healthier, easier ways to trim down? The latest research reveals you can transform into a sleeker, fitter you just by…

1. Outsmarting hunger hormones with the new sweetner. Oligo-fructose—a sugar alternative made from chicory root—is the latest and most delicious slim down trick. In a recent study, overweight men and women who consumed about 4 tsp. Of the sugary tasting sweetener daily for 12 weeks lost 2.2 pounds. That’s more than a 4- pound loss in six months.

Why it works: lowers levels of the appetite boosting hormone and raises level of the hunger suppressant hormone peptide YY.

2. Erase cellulite with a study-proven cream. Frustrated by those dimples on your thighs, buttocks, and hips that just won’t disappear? You’re not alone. Nearly 90% of women have cellulite for a simple reason: Estrogen traps fat in these areas. Try rubbing your thighs with a topical cream made with a fat-blasting trio of plant compounds.

Why it works. Ingredients override estrogen’s effect on cells, telling them to stop storing fat and to break down the fat they already contain.

3. Banishing belly bulges with blueberries. Not only do these succulent summer berries sharpen your memory and preserve your vision, researches now know they also help you shed pounds effortlessly. In a University of Michigan study, animals fed a diet supplemented with blueberries lost more weight around their midsections than animals that ate the exact same diet minus the berries.

4. Maximizing your workout with a Chinese herb Shisandra (also spelled schizandra) a woody vine with red berries that’s native to northern China, has long been used as an energy tonic in Eastern medicine. New studies show it also stimulate the nervous system, giving you quicker and stronger reflexes.

Why it works; The herb improves breathing, lowers blood pressure and improves circulation by dilating blood vessels—which, in turn, boosts your endurance so it’s easy to exercise longer and burn more calories. Options include Nature’s Way Schizandra Fruit or Paradise Herbs Schisandra at PhysiciansFormulas.com

5. Revving fat burn with sweet red peppers. An astounding 34% of adults are likely to develop metabolic syndrome—a condition that raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes and more. Luckily, researchers have pinpointed an easy way to dodge it—eat more sweet red peppers, tomatoes or watermelon. All are loaded with lycopene, and antioxidant-rich plant pigment that makes women half as likely to have belly fat of metabolic disorder

Why it works—Lycopene destroys toxic free radicals that can slow down your metabolism. Try enjoying three to five servings of lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables daily.

6. Curb snack attacks by sleeping. No this doesn’t mean to take a nap every time you are tempted to hit the fridge, though I’ve tried that tactic myself a time or two. What it really means is to get a solid seven to eight hours of shuteye won’t just boost your energy, strengthen your immunity and clear your head. New research from Walter Reed Army Medical Center reveals it will help you shed weight more easily, too. Indeed women in the study who slept at least seven hours every night weighted an average of 20 to 30 pounds less than those who slept fewer hours.

Why it works: Skimping on zzz’s lowers production of leptin, a hormone that makes you feel full. Without enough, you crave extra food to feel satisfied.

Snack for your health

Exercise alone won't help much in your struggle to lose weight. In fact, it is more important to eat well in weight control than exercise. Eating well is a lot harder to do in this fast paced, fast food world. Here are a few little steps we can take to eat less while adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Snack healthy

Strategy #1--Try a raw vegetable platter made with a
variety of vegetables. Include some good fiber choices:
carrots, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans.

Strategy #2--Make sauces and dips with nonfat plain yogurt
as the base.

Strategy #3--Eat more fruit. Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi,
apples, pears, bananas, strawberries and cantaloupe are all
good fiber sources. Make a big fruit salad and keep it on hand
for snacks.

Strategy #4--Plain, air-popped popcorn is a great low-fat
snack with fiber. Watch out! Some prepackaged microwave popcorn
has fat added. Remember to go easy on the salt or use other
seasonings.

Strategy #5--Instead of chips, try one of these low-fat
alternatives that provide fiber: toasted shredded wheat Squares
sprinkled with a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese,
whole-grain English muffins, or toasted plain corn tortillas.

Strategy #6--When you are thirsty, try water, skim milk,
juice, or club soda with a twist of lime or lemon.

By decreasing fat and sodium in your diet and increasing fiber while planning menus that are high in fiber and low in fat, especially saturated fat, you may reduce
the risk of disease for yourself and for those you love.

So Snack Well, Eat Healthy... And Eat For Life!

Supplements Save Lives

Wish you could enjoy fantastic health without the work? Now you can. The key is getting enough of the nutrients proven to help protect every cell in your body from the damage that can lead to everything from weight gain to heart disease to cancer to premature aging. What’s more, you only need to pop four supplements to reap these benefits.

1. Halve your cancer risk with vitamin D. Few of us have enough spare time to bask in the sun sun long enough to make sufficient vitamin D in our skin. Consequently nearly 80% of Americans are deficient. Even if we’re getting the present RDA –--200 IU daily for women under 50 and 400 IU after that—--research suggests that’s less than half what’s needed for optimal health. Studies indicate that bumping up your daily dose to 800 IU could cut your risk of cancer and heart attack in half, slow the progression of arthritis by 67 % reduce bone fracture risk by 33%, and slow the aging process by up to five years. Amazing. Every cell in your body needs vitamin D to function at its peak and repair day-to-day damage.

2. Burn extra fat with fish oil. We’ve known for years that fish oil helps prevent blood clots, strokes, even depression. It can even lower total cholesterol by 19%. New data shows it also helps dieters lose up to twice as much body fat each week. Fish oil reduces cellular inflammation, one of the key triggers of body fat formation. It also shuts down your brain’s production of hunger promoting hormones fr up to six hours and activates your liver’s fat-burning genes. Who doesn't love the sound of that?

3. Halt heart disease with magnesium. This mineral keeps more than 300 health boosting enzymes in your cells functioning at their peek, according to the author of the Magnesium Miracle. “Yet due to depleted soils 80% of women are deficient.” Taking a magnesium supplement daily could decrease your heart disease risk by 76%. Recommended: 400-500 mg. Food sources; green veggies, whole grains, nuts and legumes.

4. Stop germs cold with green tea. Thanks to the brew’s polyphenols, people who drink green tea daily or pop a green tea extract fend off five time more dangerous viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Those same polyphenols also disarm dangerous free radicals, resulting in a 30% lower risk of certain cancers, a 65% lower risk of high blood pressure and stroke, better blood-sugar control and fewer wrinkles and sagging. Sipping several cups daily even slows brain aging by 54%, according to researchers. No wonder lovers of green tea tend to live 16% longer than average.

Check out these supplements and more at Blue Spring Wellness or by clicking the picture above or link to the right.

Food for thought--Food for success

I received an email yesterday from the P90x team at Spark People with these questions and comments. I believe that how we think about our weight loss and fitness journey determines our success or failure.

How can I lose fat and enjoy the process?
What can I do today that will help me get closer to my weight loss goal?
What can I eat right now at this meal that will help me lose body fat?
How great am I going to feel after I finish my workout today?
My metabolism is getting faster every day.
I am getting leaner every day.
I like the way I look.
I am 100% responsible for my results.
Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.
I like eating healthy foods.
I love working out.
Training early in the morning is exhilarating.
I have time for anything I am committed to.
I like myself.
I can do it.
I’ll do it.

Do you really believe you'll have success? Are you getting fit for the right reasons or to fulfill some unattainable goal perpetuated by media? Do you know that the little steps you're taking now will add up in your journey to fitness and wholeness?

If you need help along the way, Beachbody has all kinds of helps and aids to get you up and grooving and moving and sweating your way to success. Slim in 6 provides 3 easy to follow workouts for amazing body slimming results. Ramp it up and burn it up in as little as 6 weeks. Reshape your body in 6 weeks---Guaranteed.

Taking P90x to the real world

Wayne and I have been waylaid by sickness and a death in the family this month so we are only starting week 7 of P90x instead of Week 9 like we should. I try to stay active and fit in workouts whenever possible even when we are off schedule. Can't say the same for Wayne who almost relishes interruptions. But he's hanging in there and bringing it at least three times a week. My goal is to stay on schedule so we can finish our 90 days according to the program.

After about 50 days on P90x Wayne and I are seeing some impressive changes in our bodies and our endurance. On the latest episode of The Office, office manager Michael Scott challenged his employees to pump out 25 pushups. Only one employee accomplished the feat and was rewarded with a day off work. Just for kicks I dropped down to see if I could do 25 without stopping. Piece of cake, my friends.

I couldn't have done it a month ago.

I realize my boss will never give me a day off work for doing 25 pushups or 15 pull-ups. But the skills and strength I've gained in the last month does translate to more efficiency in the real world. When you have a strong core you have a strong back. Anyone over 40, 30 even, has experienced some degree of back pain. Our vertebrae compress over time. Nerves pinch. Calcium deposits occur putting pressure on the spinal column. While there is no way to avoid the aging process...well, there's one way, but we won't consider that option, working and strengthening our back and core can alleviate many of the problems an aging, overworked back presents.

If you haven't started P90x or another of the awesome, heart pumping Beachbody workouts, I highly recommend that you do. Your back will thank you. You won't have any problem keeping up with the kids or the dog.

Who knows? You might even win a day off work sometime by pumping out 25 pushups. If you go to work in the fictional world of Michael Scott, that is.

If you forgot, I am also a Product Partners Affiliate.